Billiard-cushion.



Patented May 11, 1915.

INVENTOR ff. Z C062:

WITNESSES 5 ATTORNEY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ZQCOBB, OF WINCHESTER; MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO .REVERE RUBBERCOMPANY, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, AND PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A

' CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

BILLIARD-CUSHION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Z. COBB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winchester, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billiard-Cushions,of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact-disclosure.

My invention relates to that class 'of billiard cushion made in theusual triangular form and composed of rubber composition, vulcanized inthe usual manner, and includes means for improving the elastic uality ofthe cushion and the accuracy an amount of rebound of a billiard ballwhen striking the cushion. Heretofore in the art it has been customaryin some forms of cushions to embed in the billiard cushion near the nosethereof, metallic wire or other similar material, which has also been inthe form of strands or plates. However, in some forms of these cushionsdifficulty has been experienced in obtaining a firm adhesion between themetal when used, and the rubber itself. Difliculty has also beenexperienced in arranging the cloth or canvas embedded in or applied tothe cushion, so that eflicient cooperative action is attained.

The object of my invention, therefore, is to so embed metallic wire inthe cushion that the adhesion between the rubber and the metal isgreatly increased, and also to so arrange the fabric that the samecooperates with the wire and prevents the nose of the cushion from beingforced upward independent of its horizontal movement or y1e1ding qualityin opposition to the horizontal movement of the billiard or pool ball.

For a detailed description of one form of my invention, reference may behad to the following specification and to the accompanying drawingforming a part thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the triangular rubber strip of abilliard cushion, part of the same being cut away to show the internalconstruction; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the reinforcing wire; andFig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the cushion.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a metal wire,preferably steel piano wire, which is covered by a layer of which istightly braided about the steel core,

in the manner well known in the manufacture of braided coverings forwire, such as insulation, etc. The braided wire cover produces aroughened outer surface, into the interstices of which the rubbercomposition may easily penetrate. This roduces an adhesion impossible toaccomphsh in any other manner. The braiding of the fine wire about thecentral steel core produces a uniform tension in the covering andalso aneven distribution of the covering which is not possible when wound witha layer of cloth. After the wire covering is braided about the centralcore, the same may be treated with a solution to insure a more perfectchemical adhesion or contact between the rubber and the metal. Thecushion is then made up in the usual manner, so that the braided wireislocated near the nose of the cushion at a distance to of an inch backfrom the line of contact with the billiard ball. The steel wire corewith its covering is first placed on the corner or edge of the core 3and the rubber strip 4 is then placed around the two adjacent sides ofthe core, including the reinforcing wire and its covering. A strip 5 ofcloth or duck is then placed about the surfaces of the cushion to becovered thereby and the cushion so assembled is placed in a suitablemold to be cured or vulcanized in the ordinary way. The cloth or duck 5is preferably so located as to extend toward or around the nose of thecushion, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. By this means the cushion is helddown against the tendency to move upward when struck by a billiard ball.The margin of the canvas strip 5 being near the wire 1, there is notsuch a rigid connection between the two that the resiliency is reduced;while on the other hand, the apex of the cushion is held in positionwithout contacting with the wire and its covering. The duck or fabricmay be applied to the surface of the cushion in other ways, but thatillustrated in the figures of the drawing is deemed referable.

I appreciate that it is old in the art to wind a steel wire with clothor textile fabric for the purpose of increasing the connection betweenthe rubber and wire, and also that it is old to wind fine wire about asteel strip in the form of a flat spring, but these constructionsinvolve certain disadvantages which not only increase the cost ofmanufacture, but result in a less eflicient and accurate cushion. Ibelieve that it is new to braid fine wire around steel piano wire as aform of stiffening or hardening device, and the construction describedcombines all the advantageous features of the older constructions and atthe same time greatly increases the amount of rebound of a billiardball, or what is known by billiard players as legs and the reflection ofthe ball on the billiard cushion is rendered more accurate. In otherwords, the angle of reflection is substantially equal in all cases tothe angle of incidence.

Having thus described this form of my improved cushion, what I claim anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A billiard cushion comprising a main bodyof vulcanized rubber havinghard, resilient metallic wire embedded near the contact edge thereof,said wire being covered with atightly braided layer of metallicfilamentary material.

2. A billiard cushion comprising a main body of. vulcanized rubberhaving steel with a tightly braided layer of metallic filaments, and acovering of fabric vulcanized to the lower face of the cushion strip andextending toward its contact edge to a point adjacent said wire.

Signed at Chelsea, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, this 26day of May, 1913.

HENRY Z. COBB. Witnesses:

E. L. STIGKNEY,

W. S. TOWNSEND.

